Drink Coffee and Swim Faster

Caffeine’s positive effect on endurance exercise is well-known, but when should you drink it and does it necessarily need to be hot?

No, of course not, unless it’s really cold outside, then it can be a good idea.

Often you will find caffeine-energy at aid stations during a race and for long races it’s a good thing to continuously keep to a healthy level of intake. Otherwise you risk a drop in attention and perceived energy. But, if you’re going to do a short or sprint race, research suggest you to ingest somewhere around 6 mg/kg body weight caffeine, 45-60 minutes before the start. This will allow for the body to absorb it and to help the body work harder. As an example, the study at hand found that caffeine supplementation resulted in a 3.7% reduction in swim time, with men reducing their time with up to 4.5% compared to women with 2.8%.

Be aware of the negative effects however, especially if you’re not used to drinking coffee, that too much caffeine can cause elevated heart rate, increase anxiety, the well-known effect on the digestive tract , irritability and insomnia.

/The WoS Team

“Caffeine Improves Triathlon Performance: A Field Study in Males and Females” International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism